Wojciech Kilar

Wojciech Kilar Artur ( born July 17, 1932 in Lwów, Poland, today Ukraine, † December 29, 2013 in Katowice, Poland) was a Polish pianist and composer of contemporary music as well as film music. He was one of the most prominent personalities of European music of his time.

  • 2.1 Instrumental Music
  • 2.2 Choral Music (Selection)
  • 2.3 works for soloists, chorus and orchestra
  • 2.4 Stage Music (Selection)
  • 2.5 Film Music (Selection)

Life and work

Kilar spent his childhood in Lwów and took private music lessons there. During the Second World War, he moved several times, place of residence and came in 1945 to Rzeszow and Krakow, where he continued his musical studies with Prof. Bolesław Woytowicz. From 1950 to 1955 he studied piano and composition at the Music Academy in Katowice in 1957 and took part in the Darmstadt Summer Courses. After that he went to 1958 for advanced studies in the Conservatory of Music Academy in Krakow, but chose Katowice and Upper Silesian coal mining region to his adopted home. Often Kilar traveled around in the world ( 1959-1960 for example, in Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger ) and always returned to Katowice. Katowice was a place of artistic inspiration for many creative periods for him.

When portraying Kilar show critics usually three stages of his musical creativity:

The first was characterized by his fascination with neo-classical music, Igor Stravinsky and important works of Béla Bartók. Both appeared to him as a true master, from whom he could learn discipline, the compositional craft and high ingenuity in the use of folklore in music. The higher position of the mold, which remained the hallmark of Kilar's access to the composition until recently seems to have its roots in this neo-classical inspiration.

The second stage of his compositional work, which the sonorism, Wojciech Kilar was the mid-1960s to become one of the artists wagemütigsten the experimental twelve-tone music and was mentioned in one breath with Krzysztof Penderecki and Henryk Górecki. Kilar's works of this period are mainly characterized by dynamism, variety and expressive power. His sound experiments led to contrasting timbres, the gradual expansion of the size of the orchestra and the introduction of unconventional articulation. To Kilar's ever-present interest in folklore came musical elements of jazz. Furthermore, the composer used the human voice in a very creative way; not only by diverse and innovative articulation, but also through meticulous treatment of the text and its phonetic properties.

The third creative period in Kilar's career began in 1974 with Krzesany ( mountaineering ), the orchestral work, with which he earned his final breakthrough in the European music scene. Formally, it appears in forward-moving rhythmically repeating patterns and is therefore not unlike that of minimal music. His works now began with folk music from the Tatra Mountains exhibit his fascination, something that stood out even during the last creative period, but now. At a much lower expression Critics show a simplification of the composition technique and a reduction in the arrangement of tools. The restless experimental variety dwindled in favor of outmoded, sometimes also not ending, monotonicity. Monotonicity, motor action ( present neoclassical in Kilar period, albeit different ) or the use of highland scale and the return to melody were the hallmarks of Kilar's new style of composition. No less important was another branch that Kilar began to dominate third creative period: Kilar composed numerous works clergyman music, to use his deep religiosity reflected his courage and a simple, universal and tangible musical language.

About his religion and his faith experiences Wojciech Kilar wrote:

"There are people who demand a proof for the existence of God. It seems to me, as I know that God exists. Anyway, I was very alone for long in the faith, because I wanted to experience it rather contemplative manner. Frankly, I felt at heimischsten in an empty church reflect alone or a reading of the Holy Scriptures. Only in Jasna Góra ( Czestochowa ), I rediscovered the joy and the desire to be in a community. I began to understand that my faith is complete only when I share it with others when I am in the midst of people who are also believers and, you know '. The more people there are now in the church and the heavier it reminds me of me kneel during the Eucharistic celebration, the greater my joy. As the Psalmist says: O taste and see how sweet is the Lord. "

The discovery of the Community dimension in the experience of faith and the deep sense of being with others brought Kilar to compose music that is concentrated and meditative or in some way the reality of faith reflected to meet music that does not pretend a liturgical function, but it is a work of creation, a response to the gift of an encounter with God. He never saw himself as a strict religious composer of liturgical music.

Some of the works Kilar - deeply rooted in the turnaround time of Poland - should be considered in this context. Many key events in Poland's recent history found its reflection in Kilar's compositions of the last two creative periods: By far the most important work among them Exodus for mixed choir ( SATB) and orchestra, the Book of Exodus and the situation in Poland is nearing imposition of martial law ( December 13, 1981 ) indicates.

Since the 1970s, he was primarily active in the field of film music. His international career began in 1992 with the music of Krzysztof Zanussi drama to the sound of silence about a composer who has survived the Shoah. Thereafter he was engaged Francis Ford Coppola for his baroque vampire drama Bram Stoker's Dracula. Kilar worked together several times with film producers such as Andrzej Wajda and Roman Polanski and created with his Polonez from the film Pan Tadeusz (1999) a pop, which is known everywhere since made ​​him the latest in Poland. An invitation during the years 2001 to 2003 to compose the music for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, Kilar struck out, however, because he wanted to focus at that time on music that is performed in concert halls.

Kilar's private life was marked by his relationship with his wife Barbara Pomianovska. The marriage of the Kilar drew his strength remained childless. The death of his wife Barbara in 2007 was hard on the very deep believers Christians Kilar. Kilar even fall ill in mid-2013 to a very aggressive brain tumor, which he age of 81 died in Katowice after a short illness and a failed radiotherapy on December 29, 2013.

Prizes and awards

For his work on Polański drama The Pianist (2002) Kilar received the French César film award. Between 2000 and 2006, he received four times the Polish Film Award and for his great achievements in addition to the Order of Polonia Restituta then in 2012 the highest award of Poland, the Order of the White Eagle.

Works

Instrumental music

Choral Music (Selection)

Works for soloists, chorus and orchestra

Incidental music (selection)

Film Music (Selection)

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